Furnace-charging apparatus.



S. H. BUNNELL 6!. C G, PETERSON.

FURNACE CHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED JAN- 26, I915- 1 ,3fi52fi36. Patented, May 14, 1918.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET l- AITOR/{EYS 7 S. H. 'BUNNELL & C. G. PETERSON.

FURNACECHARGING APPARATUS.

AFFLICATXDN FILED JAN- 2'6. I-9i6.

Patented May 14, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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- ATTORNEYS s. u. BUNNELL & c. e. PETERSON.

r'u'nmcs CHARGING AP PABATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN- 26' 1916.

1 1,265,736, W Patented 14,1918.

3 SHE EH 3- [WE/V7083 S #W 8& 2. flag ATTORNEY STERLING BUNNELL, OF NEW YORK, AND CHARLES GILBERT PETERSON, 0F LOCK- PORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO THE G-RISCGM-RUSSELL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FURNACE-CHARGING APPARATUS.

Patented May id, 1918.

Application filed January 26, 1916. Serial m. 74,424.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we. STERLING H. BUN- NELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, and CHARLES GILBERT PETERSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lockport, county of Niagara; State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace-Charging Apparatus; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which. it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to furnace charging apparatus and particularly to apparatus for charging destructor furnaces employed 'for the burning of refuse.

One object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character embodying a container for receiving a charge of the refuse, which is dumped from the collecting wagons. onto a floor above the furnace and having means whereby the entire contents of the container may at intervals be quickly deposited in the furnace at one op eration, so as to avoid the cooling of the furnace, and the back lash of objecti nable gases which occurs when the charging door is kept open for an appreciable time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this class in which the removal of the closure of the charging opening and the dumping of the container is accomplished. entirely automatically at a single'operation and from any desired point of control. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a furnace charging apparatus in which the dumping doors of the refuse container' are positively operated. in opening and closing and are locked in closed position by their operating mechanism without the provision of latches or other wearing parts. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a charging hole cover and operating mechanism so arranged that the cover,

in being returned to its seat, clears away any refuse that may have lodged around the charging hole and seats itself over the hole to form a tight closure without interference from its operating mechanism.

Other features of the invention will be pointed out in the specification.

In the accompanying drawings, showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention,

Figure l is a side elevation of our im proved furnace charging apparatus in its normal or inoperative position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l of a portion thereof showing the positions they assume when the furnace is being charged;

Fig. 4 is an end viewfrom the left of Fig. l, partly in section; and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail views showing different steps in the operation of 'one part of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a furnace of any suitable form having a fuel charging opening 2 above which the fuel hopper 3 is positioned. In the embodiment shown the hopper is supported by the floor 4, its upper end passing through an opening in the floor and being flush with the surface thereof. By means of this 0011- struction the fuel may be dumped upon the floor and shoveled or otherwise moved therefrom into the hopper. The side walls of the hopper are provided at their lower ends with depending portions 5 which serve as guides to direct the fuel into the charging opening 2 and to prevent it from lodging upon the top wall of the furnace.

Pivotally mounted in brackets 6 at the bottom of the hopper are the doors 7 which are normally closed in order to retain the charge of fuel within the hopper. At either side of the hopper 3 there is provided door. opening and closing mechanism comprising a pair of segmental gears 8 and 9 having intermeshing teeth which gears are rotatably supported upon studs 10 projecting from the side walls of the hopper near the bottom edge. provided with a friction roller 11 by means The segmental gear S of each pair is of which the gears are operated as will be hereinafter described. The doors are con nected for operation to the segmental gears by means of links 12 having their upper ends pivotally connected as shown {It- 13 tohe upon opposite sides of the axis of the doors are opened their inner edges will extend within the charging opening, as shown in Fig. 3, thus insuring that no fuel will fall on the top of the furnace.

Supported on the upper wall of the furnace l are rails lowith which the wheels 16, 16 of a rectangular traveling frame 17 engage. zit one end the frame 17 is connected to apiston rod 18 of a cylinder 19 Eli) its

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which is connected to any suitable source of 'fluid whereby the piston may be actuated to cause the frame to travel-to and fro.

Secured to the frame 17 at either side thereof. is a dog 26 adapted toactuate the "door opening and closing mechanism and comprising upwardly extending outer and inner arms 2? and 28 spaced from one another to form a guideway 29. The height of the arm 27 is such that it will pass under the friction roller 11 on the segmental gear when such gear is in its normal position while the arm 28 is of such a height that it will engage the roller 11. As the frame 17 moves outwardly the arm 27 of the dog 26 passes beneath the roller 11 after which the arm 28 engages the roller, thus rotating the segmental gear 8 in a counterclockwise di- I rection as seen in Fig. 1, and the segmental gear 9 will be rotated in a clockwise direction. At the completion of the forward movement of the frame the parts will assume thev positions shown in Fig. 3, the doors being opened and the friction roller 11 being within the guideway 29 of the do At each side of the charging opening 2 the upper face of the rails 15 is cut away to a slight depth, as indicated at 20, the end of the cut away portion terminating just beyond the middle of the charging opening. When the frame 17 is in its position near est the cylinder, or normal position, the

outer wheels 16 rest upon the cut away portion as shown in Fig. 5, and a short distance away from the inclined surfaces 21 at the ends of the cut away portions. A the frame is moved outward, the outer wheels l6 travel up the inclined surfaces 21 of the rail, whereby the outer end of the frame will be raised slightly, there being sufficient play between the frame and the piston rod to admit of such movement. The charging opening 2 is provided with a cover havupwardly eatending brackets 23 secured naee yec thereto and which are provided with slots 24; engaging the axles 2-3 of the outer wheels 16 The slots "El are so formed and positioned that when the parts are in their normal position with the outer wheels 16 rest ing on the cutaway portions 20 of the'rails l5 and the cover 22 closing the charging opening 2. the axles 25 will be out of engagement with the upper ends of the slots 2i. allowing the cover'22 to seat itself upon the flange of the charging opening without interference from its connection with the axles 25. As the frame 1T is moved outward the outer wheels will engage and ride. up the inclined surfaces 21 of the rails 15. and during this upward movement the axles 25 of the wheels will first be moved into engagement with the upper ends of the slots 2i after which further upward move ment of the wheels will cause the cover 22 to be lifted from its seat so that as the frame 1? continues its outward movement the cover 22 will be lifted out of engagement with its seat. As the frame moves inward the action is reversed, the cover being allowed to drop down and then slide along its seat to thereby wipe off any refuse surrounding the openin efiecting a tight closure.

It will be understood that the dogs 26 is moved in the opposite direction b admitting fluid under pressure into the other end of the cylinder 19. During the first part of this return movement of the frame the arm 27 of the dog 26 will engage the roller 11 and return the segmental gears to their normal ositions, thus closing the doors 7 of theiiopper and during the final part of the movement of the frame the cover 22 will be seated upon the charging opening 2 as above described.

The fluid pressure for the operating cylinder may be controlled by any suitable valve mechanism, not shown, which may 0bvionsly be arranged at any desired distance from the apparatus either on the dumpinglioor or on the furnace level. It will be obvious also that the controlling mechanism may be provided at two or more such places if desired.

It will be clear from the above that our improved furnace charging apparatus will efiect a rapid and satisfactory charging of the, furnace and may be depended upon to perform its work properly without inspection. The mechanical parts are of a nature to permit a rapid operation without danger of breakage or undue wear, and as the sides of the container are diverging from top to bottom, the refuse will discharge quit-lily into the furnace as soon as the doors are opened. By arranging the hinges of the door at right angles to the line of movement of the frame, the doors can begin their openmg movement before the cover is entirely removed, the lower edge of the adjacent door following up the moving cover during the latter part of its movement. The doors and sides of the container are shaped to prevent the lodging of any of the refuse on the furnace wall surrounding the charging hole.

tut-iofurther guard against this. and to insure that the cover will always effect a tight closure, the mechanism is designed to give the cover its wiping movementon its seat to positively prevent any particle of refuse being caught under the face of the cover.

For the sake of brevity we have used the term fuel in the foregoing description and appended claims to designate the mathe apparatus. The expression is however to be understood as including all material whether to be consumed in the furnace or not.

What We claim is -l. In a furnace charging apparatus the combination of a fuel container arranged adjacent the'charging hole of the furnace. a

for maintaining said closure for said container supported in fixed position with relation to said container but movable to open and closed position, a closure for said charging hole separate and disconnected from said container, closure means container closure closed against the weight of its contents and means independent of said last named means and operating at a single movement to open the closure of the charging hole and immediately thereafter open the closure of the container.

2. In a furnace charging apparatus the combination of a fuel container arranged adjacent the charging hole of the furnace, a

"self-locking closure for the said container 'mediately beneath said container,

and a closure for said charging hole, and a reciprocating member having means operating at a single movement of said member to open the closure of said charging hole and immediately thereafter to open the closure of said container, and upon its return movement to shut the closures on both said container and said char ing hole.

I 3; In a furnace charging apparatus a container for the fuel, a dumping door at the discharging end of said container, means for opening and closing said door comprising a toggle mechanism arranged to be set when the door is closed to hold it in closed position, a furnace having its charging hole ima cover for said charging hole, and a control member having means adapted to engage and turn said toggle mechanism to open and close oscillating member for ing at its lower end, a pair of said door and for removing and replacing said cover in sequence with the opening and closing of said container.

-l. in a furnace charging apparatus, a container for the fuel. a hinged door at the discharging end thereof, and means for opening and closing said door comprising an oscillating member. a link connecting said member and said door. the points of connection of said link being so positioned that such points lie in line with the axis of oscillation of said member and substantially normal to the plane of the door when the door is closed, a furnace having its charging hole immediately beneath said container, a cover for said charging hole and a reciprocating control member having means to engage and operate said oscillating member to open and close said door and for removing and replacing said cover in sequence 'ith the opening and closing of said door.

5. In a furnace charging apparatus, a container for the fuel, hinged doors at the discharging end thereof, and means for opening and closing said doors comprising at;

each door, links connecting said members and said doors, the points of connection of said links'being so positioned that such points lie in line with the axes of oscillation of said members and substantially normal to the plane of the doors when the doors are closed, and operating connections between said oscillating members for causing their synchronous movement.

6. In a furnace charging apparatus a container for fuel having a discharge opening at its lower end. a pair of doors closing said openin said doors being arranged along the horizontal axes on opposite sides of said container. and n'icans for operating said doors comprising a pair of intermeshing toothed segments mounted for oscillation on the sides ofthe container on axes parallel with the axes of the door, and links eccentrically connected to said segments and to said doors.

7. In a furnace charging apparatus a container for fuel having a discharge opendoors closing said opening. said doors being arranged along the horizontal axes on opposite sides of said container, means for operating said doors comprising pairs of intermeshing toothed segments mounted for oscillation on the sides of the container on axes parallel with the axes of the door, links eccentrically connected to said segments and.to the adjacent edges of the corresponding doors, and means for operating said segments comprising a reciprocating member having means adapted to engage and operate one segment of each pair in opposite directions to positively open and close said doors.

8. In a. furnace charging apparatus, a

furnace having a charging hole, the wall of said furnace having a flat face surrounding said hole and forming a seat for the cover, a cover adapted to rest on said seat, and means for operating said cover comprising a reciprocating member having operative connections with said cover and means for guiding said-member to shift said cover to drag it on the face of its seat for apart of its movement and to then raise the cover clear of its seat during the balance of its movement.

9. In a furnace charging apparatus, a furnace having a charging hole, a furnace wall surrounding said hole forming a seat for a cover, a cover therefor adapted to rest freely on said seat with its weight otherwise unsupported, and means for operating said closure comprising a reciprocating frame connected to said cover, and a cam track for guiding-said frame adapted to raise .said frame and said cover upon movement of said cover way from said charging hole and to lower said frame and cover upon the returnmovement, said cam track being designed to lower said cover before it is brought into registration With the charging hole whereby it Will be laterally moved a predetermined distance in engagement with its seat surrounding the charging hole.

'10. in a furnace charging apparatus a furnace having a charging hole, a furnace wall surrounding said hole forming a seat for a cover, a cover therefor adapted to rest freely on said seat with its weig t otherwise unsupported, means for operating said closure comprising a reciprocating frame connected to said cover and; a cam track for guiding said frame adapted to raise said frame. and said cover upon movement of said cover away from said charging hole, and a lost motion connection between said coverand frame whereby the frame may be partially raised before raising the cover to allow the cover to rest freely over the charging hole.

11. In a furnace charging apparatus the combination of a furnace having a charging hole, a self-locking container for the fuel positioned vertically above said hole, a cover for said charging hole, a closure for said container, and means for operating said closures comprising a reciprocating frame supporting said cover and ha 'ing means adapted to engage and operate the closure of said container after sufiicientinovement of the frame to partially open the charging hole.

12. A furnace charging apparatus comprising a container for the fuel arranged vertically above the charging hole of the furnace, a cover for said charging hole laterally movableto open and close said hole. a laterally reciprocating frame connected to said cover, hinged doors for the discharge end of said container adapted to be projwted into the charging hole when turned downwardly into open position, a toggle link mechanism for maintaining said doors in closed position, and means carried by said frame for opening said doors adapted to engage said toggle link mechanism immediately after the cover has been sufiiciently moved to avoid interference with the adjacent door in its opening movement.

13. In a furnace charging apparatus, the

combination with a furnace having a charging hole of a fuel container mounted over said charging hole and having its walls diverging from top to bottom, and doors hinged on the lower end of said container adapted to project into the charging hole when opened to direct the contents of the containerinto the furnace, the walls of the container between the doors being extended downwardly to guide the contents of the container in its passage into the furnace.

in testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

Sfllli-MNG BUNNELL. GHAELES GILBEBT PETEBSQN. 

